Thomson Reuters’ Timothy Murphy: CIOs, CFOs Key to C-Suite Execs’ Involvement in Cybersecurity

Timothy Murphy, president at Thomson Reuters Special Services, has said chief information officers and chief financial officers have a role to play in getting partners and other C-level executives involved in cybersecurity programs at law firms, Law.com reported Friday.

Murphy said Thursday during a panel discussion at Thomson Reuters’ CFO/CIO/COO Forum that a cyber breach is “the most significant threat this country, businesses and law firms face.”

Law firms that seek to mitigate cyber risks by up to 90 percent should take several measures, he noted.

These include the implementation of encryption and two-factor authentication, identification of data that requires protection, adoption of control tightening measures and application of patches to applications and operating systems.

Murphy also discussed law firms’ dependence on federal and state laws when it comes to cyber breaches.

“We all know it’s hard enough to pass laws and regulations that make sense… We cannot wait for them to pass policy,” he added.

Other panelists who joined Murphy during the discussion include Gabrielle Taran, assistant general counsel for cyber and infrastructure programs at the Department of Homeland Security; Daniel Garrie, managing partner at consulting firm Law & Forensics; Nicholas Barone, director and co-head of the cybersecurity practice at Eisner Amper; and James Quinn, head of security architecture at Infotecs Americas.